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Biochar Opportunities in the Southwest: Extension Workshop - Land Grant Speakers
Biochar Opportunities in the Southwest: Land Grant and Extension Speakers
Join our Land Grant university and Cooperative Extension speakers to learn about some key technical aspects of biochar.
Description: This presentation will cover the range of scales and technologies used to make biochar as well as teach audience members how to make biochar using simple kilns.
Biography: Darren McAvoy is an Extension Assistant Professor of Forestry at Utah State University and chairs the Utah Biomass Resources Group. Darren was formerly a consulting forester in Sandpoint, Idaho. He was a was a wildland firefighter, crew boss and prescribed fire ignition boss in Montana and Idaho, and was a sawyer on the Flathead Hotshot Crew during the 1988 Yellowstone Fires. He is a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters. Darren holds a Master’s of Science Degree in Communications from Utah State University and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Forestry from Colorado State University.
Second Speaker: Dr. Catherine Brewer, PhD, John Kaichiro Nakayama and Tome Miyaguchi Nakayama Endowed Professor, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, New Mexico State University
Biochar Quality: Matching properties to applications
Description: Biochar characterization and evaluation is not one size fits all, which becomes apparent as organizations try to define what is biochar vs. some other biomass-derived carbon-containing material. Determination of what is a "good" biochar adds another level of challenge as biochar properties that offer advantages for one application, may not be advantageous for another application. For example, biochars intended to increase the pH and mineral nutrient content of an acidic, weathered soil may benefit from having a higher and more alkaline ash content. That same biochar applied to an alkaline, saline soil would be at a disadvantage. In this presentation, we will look at the kinds of biochar properties that can be measured and how those properties can inform decisions about each biochar's use.
Biography: Dr. Catherine "Catie" Brewer received a B.S. in Chemistry from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and Biorenewable Resources & Technology from Iowa State University. Prior to joining the faculty at New Mexico State University in 2013, she completed a postdoc at Rice University. Her graduate and post-graduate research focused on biochar characterization and engineering for soil and water remediation application. Her current interests include thermochemical biomass conversion (pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, torrefaction), products from alternative crops (guar, guayule, hops, hemp), management of desert soils, and biosystems engineering.
Interested? Registration is free! https://arizona.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctde6vqj4oG9UBBWlhZZgxn5915Ao...
For a full description of the workshop, see the agenda attached below.
* All start times are one hour earlier in Arizona.